AI in Art and Design Summit: From High School to Industry

High school and college art and design educators, industry professionals looking to learn 

AI tools and features in design software

Gabrielle Esperdy is an architectural and urban historian who studies intersections of modernism and consumerism in metropolitan landscapes and writes on technology, feminism, and queer theory as they intersect with the built environment. She is the author of numerous articles, and her books include Modernizing Main Street: Architecture and Consumer Culture in the New Deal (2008) and American Autopia: An Intellectual History of the American Roadside at Midcentury (2019). She is Editor in Chief of SAH Archipedia and the Buildings of the United States, an online encyclopedia and book series published by the Society for Architectural Historians. A columnist for Places, she also served for three years as a New Jersey Public Historian in the Humanities. Her work has been supported by the Graham Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the New Jersey Historical Commissions, among others. Esperdy has taught at the New Jersey Institute of Technology since 2001. She was the 2021 recipient of NJIT Foundation Excellence in Research Prize and is currently serving as Dean of NJIT’s Hillier College of Architecture and Design.

Session Description: Join Thomas for an engaging discussion on the role of AI in contemporary artistic practice. This session explores integrating artificial intelligence in early stages of artistic and design processes. Carlson will share experiences using AI tools like Midjourney, Adobe Firefly, and DALL-E for imagery and idea generation, as well as ChatGPT and Gemini for written content such as artwork descriptions and artist statements. Focusing on the early stages of their painting series, the speaker will discuss how Midjourney and Adobe Firefly serve as essential components in their preparatory workflow and share strategies for overcoming creative blocks by feeding existing work into AI programs to generate new ideas. The session will also cover AI applications in portrait commissions, illustrating how these technologies can help situate subjects in diverse settings. 

Bio: Thomas is an influential figure in the Jersey City art scene, where he lives and works. In 2009, he founded the Jersey City Art School, which has studios, a gallery, and several classroom. Thomas established The 313 Gallery in 2013, which focuses on hosting six-week group exhibitions that showcase diverse artistic perspectives. Over the years, he has curated numerous shows in Jersey City and at the Eden Rock Gallery in St. Barthelemy, French West Indies, where he has participated in artist residencies for seven months. Through his initiatives, Thomas has significantly contributed to the growth and recognition of the artistic community in Jersey City, providing platforms for emerging artists and fostering creative collaboration. His passion for art and education continues to inspire both students and established artists alike.

https://www.tjcarlson.com/

Session Description: In this session, we will utilize MidJourney to create ethical, custom AI art with stable diffusion and industry techniques utilizing descriptors, permutations, custom images and more.

Bio: Kaliptus (Born April 16, 1984 in Lisbon, Portugal) is a NY/NJ graduate artist from SVA with a BFA in animation and an MFA in computer art. He uses painting, film, motion graphics, animation, stop-motion, video-mixing, multimedia, interactive arts, installations and more to express ideas that are usually surreal, visionary and vital to the philosophies and understandings of the human consciousness. Kaliptus has been commissioned to work on projects for Alex Grey, Marvel, Stephen King, DC Comics, Black Tide, MTV, Prudential Center, Zoomdout, Shpongle, Sneaux, Orange County Choppers, American Choppers, and more. He is currently living in New Jersey and is a busy, self-employed freelance artist, working on a wide variety of projects from his home studio.

www.https://artofkaliptus.com/

AI tools are rapidly changing creative industries, but how do we responsibly bring them into our classrooms? This hands-on session explores practical ways to integrate AI into design and architecture courses using Adobe's Photoshop, Illustrator, and Firefly, plus Chaos products like Veras and Cosmos. We'll cover essential legal considerations, demonstrate workflows students can use, and discuss guidelines for documenting AI processes. Through live demos and short exercises, we'll examine how these tools can enhance student projects while maintaining responsible AI practices and academic integrity.

Monica Nelson is a Researcher at Chaos who specializes in emerging technologies in architecture, engineering, and construction, with a particular focus on how AI is transforming traditional design workflows. As an educator at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, she teaches foundation-level university courses where she integrates cutting-edge design technology into curriculum. Her dual perspective as both industry researcher and classroom instructor gives her unique insights into practical AI implementation in educational settings.

Join us as we explore Autodesk Flow Studio’s cutting-edge motion capture (MoCap) tools designed to kick-start and enhance your animation journey. Record your own performance to see it transferred onto a computer-generated character and then composited into filmed footage. Discover how studios are using Flow Studio’s tools in production to achieve groundbreaking results. Learn how markerless AI-driven MoCap is faster and easier than traditional methods, positioning it as the future of the technology. By eliminating costly equipment, this new workflow has the power to democratize visual storytelling techniques, empowering students to craft narratives with digital characters that move authentically, evoke empathy, and feel truly alive.

Martina Decker: Martina Decker is an Associate Professor and the Interim Chair of the School of Art + Design at the Hillier College of Architecture and Design at NJIT, where she has been a faculty member since 2012. The School of Art + Design houses programs in Interior Design, Industrial Design, and Digital Design. Her work spans award-winning interdisciplinary projects, including art installations, consumer products, and design innovation. She explores emergent technologies and materials to promote sustainability and biodiversity in human-centered environments. At NJIT, she directs the Material Dynamics Lab and the Idea Factory, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. AI is one of the many emerging technologies she examines, particularly in how it is transforming industries and education. Martina is dedicated to making these innovations accessible to educators, helping them integrate new technologies into their teaching and creative practices.

Gretchen Von Koenig: Gretchen is a PhD candidate in the Hagley Program for the History of Capitalism, Technology and Culture at the University of Delaware. She is a designer and design historian interested in histories of consumer electronics and the built environments they live in. Her PhD focuses on the design and use of home security and surveillance systems in the 1960s-80s as precursors to understanding the IoT age we live in now, of which AI is crucially changing. She has taught design history and theory at Parsons School of Design, Michael Graves School of Design, and is currently a University Lecturer of Design History and Theory at New Jersey Institute of Technology. Her writing and research has been published in the Winterthur Portfolio, The British Medical Humanities Journal for a special issue on Imagining Disability Technology Futures, Interiors on Edge (Routledge 2024), Metropolis Magazine,Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, Carnegie Art Museum and she is an editor for Dense Magazine, an independent publication investigating the designed conditions of New Jersey. She has chaired sessions and presented at the Historic Interiors Group of the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH), Design History Society (DHS), College Art Association (CAA) and National Conference on the Beginning Design Student (NCBDS). She has also worked as a designer for a variety of arts nonprofits and government offices, including serving as the Director of Design for Art Fair 14C, a 501c3 based in Jersey City, NJ that aims to bolster economic opportunities for artists from New Jersey. 

Kerry Eberhardt Bio: Kerry Eberhardt is the Director of Learning and Development with the Learning and Development Initiative at NJIT. With over 20 years of experience as an instructor, curriculum developer, and educational leader, her career has been defined by a passion for developing innovative programs that serve diverse learners. Her expertise lies in designing programs that bridge education and workforce needs, leveraging emerging technologies, and fostering equitable access to transformative learning experiences. Throughout her career, Kerry has held leadership roles that reflect her dedication to teacher leadership and professional development. She was a contributor to the creation of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Alternate Route Program at William Paterson University and served as an adjunct faculty member. She has also led state-wide initiatives to train educators, developed curriculum for cutting-edge STEM and CTE programs, and managed large-scale educational projects to improve student outcomes. Kerry holds a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education, Biology from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania and a master’s in Educational Leadership from The College of New Jersey. She is currently pursuing a Tech MBA with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at NJIT.